Emulsifiable wax product



,use in various processes,

u like, or in the sired emulsion. This stock, in solid form, I shippedor handled readily and dispersed easily It is an object of thispreparation and handlin the ingredients thereof.

Patented 1 451215, 1941 I UNITE.

rss ATNT EMULSIFIABLE wax rnonuc'r -William K. Griesinger, Lansdowne,Pa, assignor to The Atlantic Refining Company, Phil delphia, Pa,

No Drawing.

4 Claims.

1 The presentinvention relates to improvements in emulsifiable waxproducts, and relates more particularly to wax emulsion stocks suitablefor ture ofwater-proof 'paper, cardboard, and the t The presentinvention is particularly readily converted into an aqueous emulsion ofa desired concentration, obviating the necessity of carefullycompounding the separate ingredients at the time the treating emulsionis formed.

In accordance with this invention, a wax emulsion stockisprepared inasubstantially solid form, said stockicontainingessentially all of theingredients necessary for the formation of the demay be and accuratelyinto an emulsion of the desired characteristics, thereby obviatingthenecessity of employing workmen having particular skill in the handlingof emulsions.

place of use, and likewise makes it unnecessary for'the users oi waxemulsions to store and handle theingredients required for producing thedesired emulsion.

essing of paperand related fibrous materials.

In accordance with this invention, a substantially solid wax emulsionstock is prepared by incorporating in a hydrocarbon wax, an oil-soluble,

' water-dispersible soap of a petroleum sulfonic acid in quantities ofthe order of 3% to 12% by directedtoward a wax emulsion stock capable ofbeing invention, therefore, to

a corporation of Pennsylvania such as the manufam of textile materials,leathenand similar fibrous materials.

in greater quantities than purified soaps from which oil and/or waterhas been removed. For example, from about 6% to about 24% of soapcomprising 50% suli'onates, 30% water and oil, when admixed withhydrocarbon wax, will -produee a satisfactory emulsifiable wax stock.

. rendered substantially free of oil and water, may

' my invention,

weight, based upon the wax. Hydrocarbon waxes which may be suitablyemployed may be exemplified by crude scale wax produced by pressing andsweating a parafiin distillate wax, refined parafiin wax, or mixtures ofparaffin wax with small amounts of amorphous wax, such as that derivedfrom petrolatum. The oil-soluble, water dispersible sulfonate soapswhich I prefer to employ are those produced in the manufacture ofmineral white oils by sulfuric acid treatment and being extracted fromof a solvent such as neutralization, such soaps the'treated oil by meansdilute alcohol. The sulfonic acids from which On the other hand, thesame soap whichhas been be satisfactorily employed in quantities of theorder of from about 3% to about 12%, based upon the wax.

Water-soluble sulfonic acid soaps, such as may be recovered from acidsludgeresulting from the sulfuric acid treatment of petroleum oils havebeen found unsuitablefor use in accordance with acid soaps areincompatible with the hydrocarbon waxes and will not produce a solid,homogeneous emulsifiable wax product.

For purposes of convenience and for clarifying the exposition of thepresent invention, hereafter and in the appended claims, the percentageof sulfonate soap employedwill refer, unless otherwise specified, tosoap reduced to a substantially oil-free, water-free basis. It is to beunderstood, of course, that in the practice oi this invention, sulfonatesoap containing oil and/or water, or free from oil and/ or water, may beemployed.

In the preparation of the emulsifiable wax stock, in accordance withthis invention, a hydrocarbon wax, for example, 120 F.-124 F. meltingpoint crude, yellow scale wax or 128 F.-132 F. refined paraffin wax, isrendered fluid by heating to a temperature not substantially in excessof about 200 F., and sulionate soap in quantity of from about 3% to 12%by weight, is added, and the admixture is agitated until a substantiallyhomogeneous mixture or solution is obtained. The heated mixture is thencooled to form a substantially solid composition which is and are notconsidered as withinthe scope thereof. Such water-soluble sulfonicIngredients (per cent by weight) Petroleum Petroleum 1 fii 'i rfg 35Water 507 susu scale wax fined paraffin imam) mngte) The emulsifiablewax products of this invention have been found to be of particularutility in the manufacture of waterproof paper, cardboard, and

the like. In the application of petroleum sulionates as a wax emulsifierin the production of water-proof paper, care must be taken to avoid theuse of excessive quantities of sulfonates, particularly those containingsubstantial quantities of oil. For example, a composition comprisingabout 76% of hydrocarbon wax and 24% of oilsoluble, water-dispersiblepetroleum sulfonate (50% sulfonates, oil, and water), when dispersed inwater to give an emulsion containing about 5% of wax, may besuccessively employed in water-proofing paper. However, the use ofquantities of this sulfonate much in excess of about 25% (based on thewax) is undesirable, since the amount of oil which would thus beincorporated in the paper would render same unsatisfactory. Furthermore,the use of excessive quantities of sulfonate emulsifiers would requirecorrespondingly larger amounts of electrolyte for breaking the emulsionand depositing wax on the paper fibers. This, in turn, would result in adeposition on the paper of undesirably large amounts of insolubleproducts resulting from the reaction of the sulfonate emulsifier withthe electrolyte. For example, when alum is employed as the electrolyte,precipitated aluminum sulfonate would be deposited on the paper fibers.Therefore, it is highly desirable to employ the smallest quantity ofsulfonate emulsifier which is capable of producing a wax emulsion of thedesired stability. I have found that .quantities of oilsoluble,water-dispersible alkali metal sulfonates oi the order of from about 3%to about 12%, based on the wax, may be suitably employed.

'Such percentages are'based on substantially oilfree 'sulfonate soap,the sulfonic acid component thereof having an acid value of from about80 to about 14o mg. KOH per gram.

The application of emulsifiable wax products of my invention to theprocessing of paper may be illustrated by the following example:

A substantially solid, emulsiflable wax stock comprising about crude,yellow scale wax and about 15% of oil-soluble,- water-dispersible sodiumsulfonates (containing about 50% sulfonates) was admixed with water togive a stable emulsion containing about 5% of wax. This emulsion wasadded to paper pulp being subjected to a beating treatment, in suchproportion as to 7 give about 3% wax per lbs. of paper pulp. The mixtureof paper pulp and wax emulsion was then subjected to beating, and asuiiicient quantity of electrolyte, such as alum solution, was

J added to break the emulsion and cause deposition of the precipitatedwax upon the paper fibers. The pulp containing the wax was thensubjected to further beating, and then delivered to a sheet fabricatingmachine.

While, hereinabove, I have described the application of my emulsifiablewax stock in the water-proofing of paper, it is 'to be understood thatsuch wax stock may also be utilized in processing textiles, leather, andother materials in which it is desired to incorporate hydrocarbon wax.

What I claim is:

1. A wax emulsion stock which is homogeneous and substantially solid atordinary temperatures and capable of being emulsified upon beingmixedwith water, said stock comprising hydrocarbon wax and from about 3% toabout 12% of ,oilsoluble, water-dispersible soap of 'a petroleumsulfonic acid, said sulfonic acid having ar ..acid value of from about80 to about mg..KOH/gm.

2. A wax emulsion stock whichish'bmogeneous and substantially solid atordinary temperatures and capable of being -emulsified upon being mixedwith water, said stock comprising hydrocarbon wax and from about-3% toabout 12% of oil-soluble, water-disperslble alkali metal soap of apetroleum sulfonic acid, said sulionic acid having an acid value of fromabout 80 to about 140 mg. KOH/gm.

3. A wax emulsion stock which is homogeneous and substantially solid atordinary temperatures and capable of being emulsified upon being'mixedwith water, said stock comprising hydrocarbon wax and from about..3% toabout 12% of oilsoluble. water-dispersible sodium. soap of a petroleumsulfonic acid, said sulfonic acid. having an acid value of from about 80to about .140 mg. KOH/gm.

4. A wax emulsion stock-which is homogeneous and substantially solid atordinary temperatures and capable of being emulsified-upon being mixedwith water, said stock comprising hydrocarbon wax and from about 3%toabout 12% of oilsoluble, water-dispersible soap of a petroleum sulfonicacid derived from the manufacture of mineral white oil, said sulfonicacid having an acid value of from about 80 to about 140 mg. KOH/gm.

WILLIAM K. GRIESINGER.

